LOWELL -- UL Solutions, the global safety science company, unveiled its latest investment in Northwest Arkansas with the opening Tuesday of its new 100,000-square-foot Retail Center of Excellence.
Jennifer Scanlon, president and chief executive officer of the Illinois-based company, said it is thrilled to be part of the Arkansas innovation ecosystem, sitting beside the world's top retail companies.
"Our investment in this transformative Retail Center of Excellence underscores our commitment to helping our customers bring successful new products to market quicker than ever," she said.
Scanlon said the new product testing facility is the company's largest.
"It is our largest investment in our retail and consumer products capabilities, since we first entered that part of product testing," she said.
Josh Warren, vice president and general manager of retail and consumer products, said the new facility will allow the company to not only test products, but also bring in clients for showcases and informational events.
Testing in the facility covers a wide range of topics and products, including furniture, chemical tests, as well as benchmarks and claims made by companies about their products, like if a product is said to be waterproof.
The company also has a testing facility in Bentonville, which focuses on textiles and softlines, like clothing and bedding.
The plans for the new retail center began back in early 2021 after the company held focus groups with clients on what their current and future needs were.
Warren said, in order to facilitate the expected growth, the company needed to move out of its previous center in Rogers, and the planning process for the new facility began in November 2021.
Within the 100,000-square-foot facility, there are different rooms that allow for all the testing, including space for chemical tests, product experience, packaging tests and even a rain room to simulate the effect water has on products – during the tour the company set up simulated rainfall over a tent to see if it was waterproof.
One benchmarking example taking place in the facility included an array of candles lit and burning, to see how long each one lasts.
Brian Kneibel, global commercial director for the retail consumer products division, said, when the company is testing benchmarks, they use national standards for their simulated uses.
For example, when testing how a tent may hold up to rain, Kneibel said there are standards in place that help determine the amount of water or pounds per square inch pressure of the water to use for the test.
The new facility helps to connect the global company and its experts in one place, which Warren said is going to be useful when working with their clients.
The company plans to use the space to educate clients on new regulations and even educate them on the quality assurance process, according to Warren.
One aspect the company has needed to innovate in has been with packaging, with more clients switching over to sustainable products.
Kneibel said this means the company has had to test new types of materials, compared to the tried and tested foam or plastic packaging.
"Recycled contents, more recyclable paper or pulp type products, is the single biggest shift that we are seeing," he said. "We are also looking at new bio-based materials."
The shift toward sustainable packaging has also resulted in more raw material testing, according to Kneibel, to learn the benchmarking of the new sustainable materials.
The facility's package testing area has a variety of machines to simulate package drops, transport, how much weight a package can handle and more.
Warren said most shoppers are unlikely to purchase a product with damaged packaging.
"Our lab can help with the construction and durability, we can also help with chemistry testing of the materials so that we can be sustainable," he said.
Warren said Arkansas has become the company's headquarters for retail business.
The new facility, along with the business landscape of the region, will allow for expanded employee opportunities and for the company to draw on a pool of talent from the market, he said.
Kneibel said the Lowell center still has room for growth, with only 87,000-square-feet currently in use.
While there are no formal plans, Kneibel said the company will see how the next 12 to 18 months go, and once again engage with stakeholders to determine the best use of the remaining space.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark, congratulated the company on the opening and thanked them for their commitment to creating a greater quality of life in the area.
"UL Solutions' investment in Arkansas' Third District demonstrates the hard work to grow the region's economy is paying off," he said.
Womack said the testing done in the facility will help increase product innovation and create safer goods world wide.
"There are probably some things you do in this building that would work toward a dysfunctioning Congress," he joked.
Womack praised all the fortune companies working in the area and creating a quality and a place that people want to move to.
"That is what we do here, and I think the results are pretty evident," he said.
With the growth in the region, Womack added that it will soon fall on local officials to plan for the infrastructure to accommodate the continued growth.